Borscht

One word: childhood.
This recipe is the reason why I love borscht.

Borscht á la Troika
~5 litres

750 g beef
3 l water
½ celeriac
1 leek
1 carrot
1 onion
1 l beet roots
~250g cabbage (you can also use sauerkraut)
whole cloves
bayleaves
thyme
marjoram
whole white peppers
whole Jamaica peppers
dragoon
salt
sugar
3 tbs vinegar
3 tbs wine vinegar
2 dl tomatopuré

Put beef in salted water and boil it with "slow heat". Peel the foam when necessary.
Clean and peel celeriac, carrot and beet roots. Slice (as strips) beet roots, celeriac, cabbage, carrots, leek and onion. Add the to the stock (when beef doesn't create foam anymore). I beef is in large bits cut it and place it back to the stock.

Cook, add spices when soup is well-done. Serve with, or without, sour cream.

Note: this soup takes quite some time to cook (but is well worth it).